London, 20/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - The British public will be giving their verdicts in a referendum on the draft European constitution but at the earliest (as we previously indicated: Europe yesterday p 9) in a year and probably after the general elections planned for May 2005. Tony Blair himself announced the new on Tuesday in the House of Commons adding that the question had to be posed to enter into battle. The British
While British Liberal democrat, Graham Watson, president of the Liberal group at the European Parliament welcomed the decision of Tony Blair to hold a referendum on the European constitution, CSU MEP Ingo Friedrich contended in a press statement that, "the head of government from a large Member State cannot compromise on such a crucial project as the constitution of the EU simply on the basis on internal pressure" (pressure from the Tories, whereas according to polls only a minority of Britons are prepared to approve the European constitution: Editor's note). The British prime minister outlined that electors should be able to vote when all issues are answered, when all the details were known and when the draft had been "tempered" and examined in detail. This would also happen, he said after parliament had debated it and decided. Overall, Blair repeated that he would sign the constitution if it respected the "red lines" of his government, which wanted to keep control of taxation, defence and foreign policy. The campaign for the referendum ought to banish the myths propagated by the Conservative opposition and by the Euro-sceptic media, he said, adding that the United Kingdom would be a driving force in Europe or it would otherwise remain on Europe's margins.